I have read on this site that Citalopram aggravates RLS . I saw my GP today and asked about switching to Venlafaxine (thedragon and one other was also interested to know). I saw my GP today and she shook her head and said changing to Venlafaxine would only bring on a new set of side affects so better to stick to Citalopram. She did not elaborate further so i left it at that!!! Sorry I couldnt come up with a more in depth answer

22 Replies

HI, Jubilee, you are right and your doctor is wrong ,dare I say it. The Citalopram is the same as our Celexa, ( I am in the US) and it is and SSRI antidepressant, and will most likely make your RLS worse. rlshelp.org look on the treatment page for "Drugs and Foods to Avoid". On the other hand, Venlafaxine is an SNRI antidepressant, which is Effexor in the US, and it is one of the few antidepressants that is usually used for people with RLS. SSRI's are a big no no for MOST RLSer's, and SNRI's are generally tolerated much better and is not known to make RLS worse. Check out hat web site and see that list. You were right to think that your med was making RLS worse. If it were me, I would be ringing them right back. I would say your doctor needs to know some basic RLS info, and that is pretty basic info that all doctors who treat anyone with RLS should know. On all the major RLS web sites and in the GOOD books, SSRI's are listed in all of them as something for us to avoid, keeping in my mind there are always exceptions.

Yes ssri,s are usually bad for rls. But if you ha e a doctor who won't prescribe anything else....then you are stuck with it. It's no use saying it's a no no for rls. It was my only choice at the time I started taking it and like

Yikes it saved my life. I joined this site at the time things were bad and was told on many occasions ....don't take that. But despite the worsening of the rls...it was the best move I could have made and i was in no position to argue with the doctor or do research ...I was at the end!

3 years agoHidden

I went to a RLS lecture sponsored by my neurologist.. She said

again and again that Venlafaxine is not an antidepressant that is

a first choice for treatment of depression, anxiety, excessive stress

but it's a good one if some of the others fail. (yes it's Effexor in the

USA) It's very, very strong..works a little different than the rest.

It was interesting to me how many people in the room had questions

about the SSRI's and were looking at changing over to another

one because they honestly do make rls worse!

Venlafaxine (Effexor) has the worst association with discontinuation syndrome.. it sucks bad. The half life is so short that if you are

Hi jubilee...I went to see my doc today and told her how bad things had got. She offered me the dopamine route and I said I wanted to leave that for as long as poss. She asked me what I wanted!!! I suggested bupropion but she wasn't too happy with that . So I said what about venlafaxine and she was happy with that.!!!! So have to slowly stop the citalopram.and move over! Result!!!! Im just praying it makes a difference

I had a big long discussion with my GP . Jubille I do not want to take over your thread, but this might help you. I explained that i fear the dopamine meds due to the messing about everyone on here seems to have with them. I do not feel i could cope with the augmentation stuff and changing dosages and meds and the pain involed. i know my rls pretty well now . they are going to be my very last resort as i know its gonna get worse the older i get.

Bupropion...she felt would help but is not that good for mood and depression

as she explained i have to take a half tablet of citalopram for 7 to 10 days, then half every other day and then none for 3 days. this is a bit scary for me but as she says ...we know the answer to my depression. Maybe the lower dose of citalopram will ease the rls and keep me sane. we have to see. if that is ok then ill stay on a lower dose! Maybe I`ll find Im ok without the anti d at all. We shall see. but at least i am armed with it in case it all goes wrong. I have the script for the venlafaxine , so i can get that whenever I want. I have to keep a very detailed mood/rls/sleep diary to keep a check on myself.

yesterday was my first half tablet. I went to bed with no rls but couldnt sleep due to the exictement of it all and being listened to !!!!!! it started about 4 am so i took my trusty cocodamol and slept from about 5am to 10 am. . Half tablet this morning and feel ok. I know its a bit too soon to tell anything but I thought I would let you know how my doctors visit went!

Many thanks for your input thedragon, I do feel for you going through this in order to get some relief. I am having second thoughts myself about venlafaxine after what Yikes has told us and it is a strong one, BUT !!! if u think its going to help go for it. As you say though its a back-up. I am trying to come off Citalopram by one every other day and none Sat and Sun but your way seems better so will try it

I have been taking citalopram 20mg once a day and I do not feel it has made my RLS worse. However, citalopram seems to be the culprit for stomach or bowel problems. Stomach and bowel problems are what give me RLS symptoms. I take omeprazole to combat stomach problems caused by citalopram. Now I get no symptoms at all.

3 years agoHidden

Venlafaxine, (generic for Effexor) is a strong antidepressant -

It increases both serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain

If you need SSRIs, then by all means talk to your doctor and I won't

ever discourage you from taking it.. I was simply stating that it can

make RLS a whole lot worse.. If you want to quit with a SSRI, please

discuss this with your doctor before you take yourself off of it. Some

very upsetting things can happen if you suddenly quit with these kinds

of medicines.

The panic stuff happened to me and I lived trapped in my house for at

least 2 yrs before I finally got the help. It was just one panic attack after

the other. Taking Paxil changed my life dramatically. I will not go without